Nevertheless, Barao was one of two champions to defend his belt in anticlimactic fashion at UFC 169. His teammate Jose Aldo (24-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) also held on to his belt by outpointing Ricardo Lamas (13-3 MMA, 4-1 UFC) over five rounds for the night’s record 10th decision.

The rest of the main card saw Alistair Overeem (37-13 MMA, 2-2 UFC) get back to his winning ways, Ali Bagautinov (13-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) stake his claim as the top contender in the UFC flyweight division, and Abel Trujillo (12-5 MMA, 3-1 UFC) win an early “Fight of the Year” candidate against Jamie Varner (21-9-1 MMA, 3-4 UFC).

After every event, fans wonder whom the winners will be matched up with next. And with another night of UFC action in the rearview mirror, it’s time to look forward, put on a pair of Joe Silva’s (and Sean Shelby’s) shoes, and play UFC matchmaker.

ABEL TRUJILLOShould fight: Bobby GreenWhy they should fight: Make no mistake about it: Trujillo is an extremely exciting fighter, which is why he was selected to open the UFC 169 pay-per-view broadcast and why he walked out of the event with a cool $125,000 in fight-night bonuses.

Unless he can shore up the deficiencies in his game, Trujillo is unlikely to be anything more than a middling lightweight as his career goes forward. There’s no harm in that, but it certainly limits what type of fights he’ll be presented.

Trujillo was originally booked for a fight with Bobby Green (22-5 MMA, 3-0 UFC), who was injured and replaced by Varner. Both men can have incredibly action-packed fights, which is why they were matched up in the first place. If UFC officials choose to reschedule the bout, another “Fight of the Night” award could be in both fighters’ future.

ALI BAGAUTINOVShould fight: Demetrious JohnsonWhy they should fight: Bagautinov stands alone when it comes to worthy challengers for UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson (19-2-1 MMA, 7-1-1 UFC). With a championship fight likely in his future, Bagautinov could become the first Russian to wear UFC gold.

“Puncher” was given the chance to prove his worth in a featured fight on a major UFC card, and he didn’t let the opportunity slip through his fingers. He overcame the ferocious power of John Lineker (23-7 MMA, 4-2 UFC) for his third straight win since joining the UFC roster.

Bagautinov said he’ll be ready for a title shot if and when the UFC comes calling. And with Johnson looking nearly unbeatable three defenses into his title reign, Bagautinov’s crafty tactics could prove to be his toughest test yet.

ALISTAIR OVEREEMShould fight: Junior dos SantosWhy they should fight: With a much-needed victory over Frank Mir (16-9 MMA, 14-9 UFC), Overeem can jump back in the fray of heavyweight contenders vying for a shot at champ Cain Velasquez’s belt.

There is not a whole lot to work with in the upper-echelon of the weight class in terms of matchmaking, but at this point, Overeem’s next fight should be a no-brainer since anything other than a fight with former heavyweight titleholder Junior dos Santos (16-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) would be a disservice to both men.

The UFC has attempted to book this fight twice before, once at UFC 146 when “Cigano” held the belt and again at UFC 160. Considering the unpredictable nature of the heavyweight division, it’d be foolish to pass up the opportunity to book this fight since it may never come around again.

Overeem has never been one to turn down a proposed matchup, and if he wants to achieve his dream of becoming heavyweight champion, he must get through dos Santos first.

JOSE ALDOShould fight: Anthony PettisWhy they should fight: The one and only featherweight champion in UFC history continues to dazzle fans with his performances, this time with his win over Lamas.

Not to take anything away from the challenger, but it was obvious from the outset that Aldo was the superior competitor, which allowed him to open up his offense in a much more dynamic way and pick his shots for a lopsided decision win.

With a 14-0 record in his combined UFC and WEC careers, “Scarface” continues to prove he’s the world’s best 145-pound fighter, and it’s difficult to think of anyone who can dethrone him in the division.

Aldo has run through the featherweight division at such a fast and furious pace that rematches with fighters he has already beaten are coming back around for a second try.

While the likes of Chad Mendes and Cub Swanson have performed well lately, the fight fans really want to see is a matchup between Aldo and lightweight champion Anthony Pettis (17-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC).

It appears Aldo will vacate his featherweight belt and move up to lightweight when “Showtime” recovers from injury. Both fighters want it, UFC President Dana White has given the matchup the green light, and fans are excited to see if Aldo can become just the third fighter in UFC history to win belts in multiple weight classes.

RENAN BARAOShould fight: Dominick CruzWhy they should fight: Fingers throughout the MMA community are crossed in hopes that Dominick Cruz (19-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) will finally be able to return to the octagon to meet Barao after he stopped Faber in the first round of UFC 169’s main event.

It was supposed to be “The Dominator” who fought Barao on Saturday night, but his well-documented injury woes again held him back from competition. Should Cruz get his health in order, it only makes sense to have him fight Barao, especially considering the landscape of the UFC’s bantamweight division.

While having Cruz, who hasn’t fought since October 2011, come back and immediately challenge for title probably isn’t in his best interest, the 135-pound weight class is desperate for legitimate title challengers who can move the needle, and Cruz is both of those things.

Barao’s insane 30-plus-fight undefeated streak is far too impressive to move him off pay-per-view at this point, so unless the UFC can find him a fight with someone else worth shelling out upward of 50 dollars for, waiting for Cruz to get healthy is the only real option.

UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey is probably the greatest female fighter on the planet, which is a tremendous feat. So why are we seemingly so obsessed with arguing about whether she could beat up men?